He may have done the crime, but he won’t be doing time.
A Manhattan Judge ruled Friday that President-elect Donald Trump will not be punished in the high-profile hush-money case, despite a jury finding him guilty of 34 felony counts of business fraud. However, Trump will still be the first felon to be a U.S. president.
The ruling comes just days before Trump is set to take office on Jan. 20.
Judge Juan Merchan also decided not to impose any fines in the case involving adult porn star Stormy Daniels. The illegal payments were made ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Trump continues to claim he is innocent.
Last week, Merchan signaled that he would not be handing Trump any prison time ahead of the official sentencing, opting instead for an unconditional discharge. He said at the time that it would make little sense since Trump was about to be sworn in as the 47th President in coming days.
A crowd of Trump supporters gathered outside the Manhattan courthouse today in solidarity with the former president.
